Right now, drivers in California pay 30 cents to the state for every gallon of gas they buy. This new tax, called a road charge, would get rid of that system completely.

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Caltrans is launching a pilot study this summer with 5,000 drivers throughout the state to track just how far they drive.

"We pay for utilities, we pay for the amount of water we use, we pay for the amount of electricity we use -- it might make sense that we pay for the amount of miles we drive on the roadways,” California Transportation Commission Executive Director Will Kempton said.

Currently, Caltrans spends $2.3 billion a year to maintain state highways but says $8 billion is needed -- a $5.7 billion shortfall.

“We have to look at another way of doing business,” Kempton said. “Will it be the road charge? A mileage-based user fee? Maybe, maybe not -- depends on what information we gather from this pilot and whether it will work for California.”

State Assembly member David Chiu, who serves on the road charge advisory committee, said the problem is that people with electric or other fuel efficient cars pay much less in the gas tax than others.

“As cars become much more fuel efficient, we’ve just been collecting less and less (tax income) over the years and not replacing it with anything -- which then leads to potholes in the streets becoming gigantic sink holes,” Chiu said.

By Chui’s estimates, some problems left unfixed can cost four times as much to fix just a few years later.

“As a state, we have completely failed to invest in roads and bridges and highways," he said. "None of us are paying what we should be for what it costs to keep our roads in good repair.”

The Transportation Commission estimates between 2,000 and 3,000 people have already signed up to be volunteers. However, more are needed as the state is looking for a variety of drivers in different locations, with different cars and driving patterns.

“In order to get 5,000 people to fit into that matrix, we’re probably going to have to recruit between 10,000 and 15,000 volunteers,” Kempton said.

Caltrans officials are considering several different ways of tracking miles driven, from basic odometer readings to GPS tracking.

The pilot program will last nine months before the transportation commission reviews the data and makes a recommendation to lawmakers.